Traction-engine.



L. M. MERKLEY. TRAGTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED Nov.1, 1908.

Patented May 24, 1910.

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L. M. MERKLEY.

TRAGTION ENGINE.

` APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 190B. y 958,81 6. Patented May 24, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT omnes.-

LAVI'EBN M. I-EERKLEY, l0F lIBILIACIKIFOO'I, IDAHO.

TRAGTION-ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern: i Be it known that I, LAvEBN-M. Mannini?, a citizen of the United States, residingat Blackfoot, inthe county of Bingham and lState of' Idaho, have invented certainv new and useful Improvements in Traction-En gines, of which the following is a specification, reference being .had tothe accompan ing drawings.

T is invention relates to 1m rovements 1n traction engines or vehicles or road'and farm pur oses.

The object of the invention 1s to 1m rove .the construction and operation of mac ines of this character and thereby render them more durable and eilicient.`

With therabove and'other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arran ement 'of parts l hereinafter fully de scri d and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichj Figure 1 is a top plan view'with parts broken away and in section of the improved traction engine; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectlon taken onthe plane indicated by the'line 2--2 in Fig. 1 ;Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the plane indicated b the line 3 3 in Figl; Fig. 4 is a 4Fig. 7 is a 4by longitudinal bars 5. Projecting forwardly from the center detail ongitudinal section showing one of the clutch operatin shafts and its connections; Fig. 5 is a of the corner posta' Fig. 6 is a similar view of one corner of the lower frame showin the bearing late for the corner'post; an

detail cross section through the rim of one of the traction wheels.

In the drawings 1 denotes the lower framel or runnin frame whlch is resiliently supported above the former and which carries the gas engine or'other motor 3 and its a purtenances and which lmay also be used or supporting a load of any description. The lower` frame 1 is constructed ofmetal bars and is, of open rectangular sha and 'suitably/reinforced bil/irs 4 and transverseV brace of its front end is a reach bar 6 the forward end of which is cylindrical and mounted for rotation in a bearing 7 arranged u on the top of a fifth wheel plate 7. The atter is rotatably mounted upon asimilar fifth wheel late 8* which is secured to the front axle 8.

epending from the center of the plate 7" spammen of Lmm raient. n

Application led November 18, 1908. Seriall No. 463,330. Y

'axle 8, a 'nut etail perspective of onegear and 2 the upper or body Patented Mai? 24, 191e.

is 'a pivot' stud 7b which passes through-aw i vertical opening formed 1n the plate 8 and being arranged upon the threaded lower end of the pivot 7" to retain saidl arts in engagement with each other. It w11 be noted that this construction prevents the Aframe from twisting when traveling over uneven round. Thel axle 8 has its central portion ropped and it carries two steering wheels 9 which are comparativelylarge and disposed well -in advance of the front end of the .lower frame 1 so that a very short turn can be made by the machine. The rear axle 10 is made in two sections connected by a differential gear 11 of the usual form and having at theirl outer` ends improved traction wheels 12. The sections of thelaxle 10 are suitably 'journaled in bearings upon the lower frame land the ,provision of the differential gear between thern permits one wheel to turn .faster than the other in turning themachine.

The traction wheels V12 each consist of a hub, spokes' radiating therefrom and an improved rim 13 consisting of a centrally disposed continuous annular tread 14 projecting rom an annular base portion 15 and having on its opposite sides and arranged in staggered re ation blades 16 which unite the portions 14, 15 and form ockets between them. The outer edges of the lades 16 are disposed in the plane of the periphery of the tread portion 14, which latter is broad enou h to support the weight of the machine and its load upon firm ground, .but when the ma# chine travels over soft ound or mud and the tread portion'14 sin s into the same the blade 16 will also enterathe ground and prevent the wheel from slipping.

The-steering of the machine 4is effected by turning a hand wheel 17 fixed to the' up er end of'a vertical shaft rotatably mountedp in bearings 18 and carrying va s rocket wheel 19 around which is passed a c ain 20. The

latter has its ends fixed to' the outer portions .ofthe front'axle-B and its intermediate portions are assed around guide rollers 421 journaled tween ,upper and lower transversely extending plates secured to the bar or beam 6. This ide device for the steering chain revente tg: latter fromv interfering withlt e front wheels `when a short turn is made by themachine. The upper frame 2 is also constructed of metal bars and is of o n rectangular shape'reinforced by longitudinal the 'upper and lower frame is effected by providing four corner posts 25, the upper ends of which are provided with right angular blocks 26 which are arranged inthe four i tialgear l1 by a y shaft 31 and a reverse drive countershaft 32..

corners of the upper frame 2 and bolted or riveted to its side and end bars so that the posts 25 depend and project through and slide in openings 27 formed in triangularshaped corner plates 28 secured upon the four corners of the lower frame'l, as more clearly shown in Fig. 6. Coil springs 29 surround the osts 25 and supportthe upper frame 2 and t e load thereon. l t

The engine 3 is connected to thedifferencaring which will permit the machine to be riven forwardly at dierent s eeds and to be driven rearwardly without c anging the speed or reversing the engine. This gearing is clearly shown in Figs.

1 and 2 of' the\drawin sand comprlses a main drive shaft 30, a irect drive counter- These three shafts are suitably journaled in han ers 33 de endin from the,upper frame 2. ixed to t e sha t 30 is a sprocket wheel 34 connected by a sprocket chain 35 to the shaft of the engine 3 and having in its opposite' faces openings or seats to receive clutch pins 36v upon spro'cket'wheels 37, 38 slidably and rotatably-arranged upon the shaft 30 upon opposite sides of the sprocket 34. The sprocket 37 is comparatively large and is connected by a chain 39 to the sprocket wheel 40 on the shaft 31 and the sprocket 38 is integral with'a smaller sprocket 41, which 'latter is connected by a ,chain 42 to a comp)aratively large sprocket 43 on the shaft 31.

wing to the .size and arrangement of the sprockets 37, 40, 41, 43 it will be seen that --when the s rocket 38 is lockedto the sprocket 34 t el shaft 31 will be' driven at a lower speed than it would be driven when the sprocket 37 is locked to saidl sprocket 34. If

a still higher speed is desired the-chain 42 may be lengthened and transferred from the sprocket 41 to the sprocket -38 and if a\ still hlgher .speed is desired the chain 39 may be shortene and transferred from the sprocket 40 to a smaller sprocket 44 fixed to the'shaft 31; The shaft 31 is connected to the differential gear llby a sprocket chain 45 which f passes over a sprocket wheel 46 on said shaft 31. The reversing gear comprises a gear 47 fixed to the shaft 30'and intmesh With'aear 48 which is fixedly mounted upon the sha t 32 and carries a clutch member to be engaged by a similar clutch member 49 carried by a sprocket' wheel ,50 which visslidablyfan'd rotatably arranged'on the shaft 32 and con" nected by a vchain 51 toa sprocket wheel 52 on the shaft 31.

' the front end of the upper The three shiftables rocket wheels 37, 38, and are control ed by three hand levers 53, 54, and 55 arran ed adjacent to grama Each of said levers projects through a slot in the platform and is fixed to one end of a longitudinal shaft 56having cylindrical portions journaled in bearings 57 upon thelbottom of the platform, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, Each of said levers is also provided with a sprin projected and hand retracted locking paw 58v which4 co'- .acts with a locking rack 59'.\ Depending from each of ,the shafts 56is la forked arm 60, the ends of which carry ivot st uds 61 -to enter a ring62 arranged or rotation in an annular'groove in the hub of one of said sprocket-wheels 37, 38, 50. It will be `seen that when any of the levers 53, 54,455`are oscillated the shafts 56 will be rocked and the arms 60 of the latter will shift said sprocket wheels.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides an exceedingly simple traction engine or vehicle. which may be'dproduced at a comparatively small cost an will be strong and durable and very efficient for transporting agricultural im' plements or machlnes over roads, throu h fields and the like and rwhich may also e anchored or made stationary and used for driving threshing machines, saw mills and the like. ,v

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

In a machine of the character described, the

combination of upper and lower frames,

spring devices for supporting the upper frame abovel the lower one, steering and driving wheels carried by the lower frame, a differential ear on the axle of the driving wheels, said upper frame consistin 'of front v and rear end bars uniting longitu inal side bars and longitudinal intermediate bars, angular Vbearin brackets de ending from the intermediate ongitudinal ars, a main drive "shaft Journaled 1n said brackets, a reverse drive countershaft jo'urnaled in said brackets, a direct drive counter` shaft journaled in said brackets, meshing gears on the main drive shaft and the reverse drivel counter shaft, sprocket chain gearing between the direct and reverse drive counter shafts, and including the shiftable sprocket wheel, sprocket'chain caring between the direct drivev counter s aft and said differential gearinogthe sprocket wheel 34 fixed to the main rive shaft, two sets of sprocket chain gearing between the main drive shaft and `the direct'drive counter shaft, `and including shiftable sprocket wheels arranged on opposite sides of the sprocket wheel fixed to said main 'drive shaft, the last. mentioned shiftable sprocket wheels being adapted to be locked to saidintermediate one. for'rota tion therewith, a top plate arranged on the upper frame and formedadjacent its front edge with transverse slots, longitudinal rock shafts'journaled in bearings on the bottom .1 of said plate, hand levers fixed to the forward ends of seidvrock shafts and Work ing in the slots of Said plate, locking `devices for said hand levers, and arms depend-- ing from the rear portions of 'said rock shafts for actuating the; said shiftable 10 sprocket Wheels. p

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix' my signature in the presence of two Witnesses;

` LAVERN 4 M. MERKLEY.

YVitnesses:

JAMES DUCKWORTH, H. N.`PARKINSON. 

